Tennessee
Ohio State vs. Tennessee: Predictions, odds for College Football Playoff first round
US LBM Coaches Poll: How SMU earned a CFP nod over Alabama
The final regular season US LBM Coaches Poll is here and Paul Myerberg breaks down the top storylines now that the CFP bracket is set.
Sports Pulse
In one of four College Football Playoff first-round games, the Tennessee Volunteers will travel to Columbus, Ohio to face the Ohio State Buckeyes for a Saturday night SEC vs. Big Ten matchup.
Despite a challenging season, Ohio State secured the No. 8 seed in the playoffs despite suffering a 13-10 loss to Michigan in its final game of the regular-season. Ohio State quarterback Will Howard struggled to move the Buckeyes’ offense, finishing with a completion rate of 57.6%, one touchdown and two interceptions. Following the game, tensions escalated, resulting in fights breaking out on both sides.
Tennessee, which secured the No. 9 seed, is a formidable opponent. The Volunteers ended their season with a 36-23 victory over in-state rival Vanderbilt. Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava had a standout performance, completing 18 of 26 passes for 257 yards and four touchdowns.
But, the playoffs are a new beast and provide a reset for both teams as they set their sights on playing for a national championship in January. The first test comes this weekend as the Buckeyes and Volunteers battle in the first round.
CFP first-round predictions: Ohio State vs. Tennessee
USA Today: No. 8 Ohio State over No. 9 Tennessee
Paul Myerberg writes: “This is the premier pairing of the opening round and a nice barometer of how playoff games could unfold between the best of the best in the Big Ten and SEC. Given two evenly matched teams with similar traits, two factors will make the difference in Ohio State’s favor: homefield advantage and a more credible offense. Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard has more experience and better skill options. But another big game from Volunteers signal caller Nico Iamaleava could easily shift this game in the opposite direction.”
ESPN: Ohio State has 65% chance to win
According to ESPN’s Matchup Predictor, the Ohio State Buckeyes have a 65.5% chance to beat the Tennessee Volunteers in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
College Football Network: Ohio State 27, Tennessee 23
Will Helms writes: “To be clear, I think Ohio State’s offense is capable of moving the ball down the field through the air, but Tennessee’s defensive line could feast against a reshuffled Buckeyes O-line. But I also trust Kelly to find ways to scheme open elite playmakers like Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. If this becomes a close game, Ohio State’s experience can make a difference. However, I like the Volunteers as one of the best bets of the opening round. The Buckeyes’ experience and depth should help them close this out, but take the Volunteers to cover in a close one that ticks over.”
Sports Illustrated: Tennessee Volunteers
James Parks writes: “Tennessee +7.5 … We’re taking the Vols to win straight-up on the road given their outright advantage on a very dominant defensive front, which should overpower a Buckeyes offensive line down two key starters to injury, while Dylan Sampson and Tennessee’s gifted ground game do the rest.”
CFP first-round odds, lines: Ohio State vs. Tennessee
The Ohio State Buckeyes are favorites to defeat the Tennessee Volunteers, according to the BetMGM college football odds.
Odds as of Wednesday, Dec. 18.
- Spread: Ohio State (-7.5)
- Moneylines: Ohio State (-300); Tennessee (+240)
- Over/under: 46.5
How to watch Ohio State vs. Tennessee in CFP first round
- Date: Saturday, Dec. 21
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- TV: ABC/ESPN
- Stream: ESPN+ and Fubo
- Where: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, OH)
Catch CFP games with a Fubo subscription
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Tennessee rowing won the program’s first SEC championship in a thrilling finish on Melton Hill Lake in Oak Ridge.
The title came down to the final race with the varsity eight boat, which had the lead against Texas going into the final 250 meters. The Longhorns made a late push to overtake the Lady Vols, but the 1V8 crew held on for the victory to secure the SEC championship on May 10.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 to win the title. It’s the first time the Lady Vols have won a conference championship since 2013 when they were a member of Conference USA.
The program’s first SEC title comes in the third season under coach Kim Cupini, who has transformed Tennessee into a national powerhouse.
“Phenomenal to see that from the team”, Cupini said in a school release. “Texas coming in was the number one team in the country and had that undefeated eight. So to see the varsity eight clinch like that was awesome. I have to take my hat off to the full team to get enough points to win the SEC Championship and bring that championship home, especially here at home in Tennessee. So, I was super impressed and super proud of them.”
Tennessee moves on to the NCAA Championships at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, from May 29-31.
Tennessee narrowly beat Texas 79-75 with four total wins, which also included the 2V4, 3V8 and 3V4.
The 1V8 boat finished with a time of 6:06.939 for the win. The first varsity eight crew has beaten eight ranked opponents on the season.
The 2V4 was a crucial comeback win for Tennessee. The second varsity four crew fell behind early but caught up to and overtook Texas in the final 500 meters for the win, finishing with a time of 7:12.677.
“I think the boats on the water saw that,” Cupini said. “To be able to race from behind in the event and win is incredible. The second four, we were going crazy on that. It was a group that just got together the other day. They row together a lot as a team and as a group, but that lineup hasn’t been together. So to see them pull that off and get the win was incredible.”
Tennessee swept the third varsity races, with the 3V8 finishing with a time of 6:29.409 and the 3V4 finishing with a time of 7:16.747. The Lady Vols placed second in the 2V8 and 1V4, losing to Texas by a combined 11 seconds.
Cora Hall is the University of Tennessee women’s athletics reporter for Knox News. Email: cora.hall@knoxnews.com; X: @corahalll; Bluesky: @corahall.bsky.social. Support strong local journalism and unlock premium perks:knoxnews.com/subscribe
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Things went sideways quickly at Lindsey Nelson Stadium on Friday as the No. 4 Texas Longhorns fell into an early hole and never recovered in a 5-1 loss to the Tennessee Volunteers that included another shoulder injury sustained by junior second baseman Ethan Mendoza.
After spending 15 games last year as the designated hitter following a shoulder injury sustained diving for a ground ball, Mendoza left the game in the first inning on a similar play, leaving head coach Jim Schlossnagle without much optimism that the Arizona State transfer will be able to return to action this weekend.
Without Mendoza in the lineup, Texas struggled at the plate against Tennessee ace Tegan Kuhns, who recorded a career-high 15 strikeouts in seven innings. Throwing 113 pitches, Kuhns allowed just four hits and one walk in his scoreless outing as the Horns ultimately struck out 19 times, leaving the bottom of the order without much production — sophomore shortstop Adrian Rodriguez struck out all four times he came to the plate and junior designated hitter Ashton Larson, junior infielder Casey Borba, and freshman center fielder Maddox Monsour all struck out three times apiece.
Junior right fielder Aiden Robbins did have two hits — a double and a solo home run in the eighth inning — but didn’t receive help from the rest of the lineup.
And sophomore left-hander Dylan Volantis looked human, a rare occurrence in his sterling career in burnt orange and white, allowing RBI doubles in the first and second innings and giving up another second-inning run on a wild pitch. Volantis recovered to throw three scoreless innings before redshirt senior right-hander Cody Howard pitched the final three innings, giving up two runs on two hits.
Texas tries to bounce back on Saturday with first pitch at 5 p.m. Central on SEC Network+.
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